Jose Mourinho unexpectedly criticizes Chelsea

Ex-Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has spoken out against the club's transfer strategy since the arrival of new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Since Roman Abramovich's departure in 2022, the Blues have spent over 1.5 billion Euros on new signings, but over the past three years, they have focused on acquiring young talents rather than established stars. Despite winning the Club World Cup in July, Chelsea have yet to seriously challenge for the Premier League title Premier League under the BlueCo era, and Mourinho admitted it was “difficult” to watch the team's decline before Enzo Maresca was appointed last year.

The 62-year-old tactician, who won eight trophies during two spells at Chelsea, will return to Stamford Bridge to lead Benfica against the Blues at 2:00 AM on October 1st. In the pre-match press conference, Mourinho openly criticized his former club’s transfer policy.

“Chelsea under Roman Abramovich, my Chelsea, the Chelsea we built and maintained over many years was a winning club,” Mourinho told the media ahead of his return to Stamford Bridge (according to Daily Mail).

“Chelsea won every trophy with me, then with Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte, and Thomas Tuchel. Chelsea was a winning machine. Every season, Chelsea claimed a title. Then came a huge shift with crazy investment and a few years of losing direction, too many players, too many millions spent, a squad overloaded but lacking a clear philosophy. For several years, that was really hard to accept. For someone who loves the club, it was painful,” Mourinho admitted.

“Maresca arrived and gradually pieced things together. Even the Conference League is a great competition for a team like this to win. It brought the first trophy and helped restore the club’s winning philosophy and culture. If you can’t win the Premier League, you still have to win something, and they won the Conference League. Then they went to America and came back wearing the big badge on their chest. Now, they have a truly strong team.”

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